Want a Dog?
by melody's muse
Summary: Meredith and Derek get a puppy. Hilarity ensues. Takes place during season 3.
1. Part I: A Puppy Would Be Fun

**Want a Dog?**

**Summary: Meredith and Derek get a puppy. Hilarity ensues. Takes place during season 3.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...these characters belong to Shonda Rhimes. I'm just borrowing them for a little while. :)**

**A/N: **So I'm looking through my old computer files and I came across this fanfic that I started like maybe two years ago. I had just read the book "Marley and Me" which at that point, wasn't even a movie yet, and it had inspired me a little. I don't know why I never got around to completing it then, but I decided this was too good of a story to not finish. So here it is!

Please note that I wrote this story quite a while ago, and since then, a lot of changes have happened on Grey's. In this story, George and Izzie still live at Meredith's. George is still with Callie (before their Vegas wedding). Derek and Meredith have recently got back together. And the gang are still interns as this fanfic is pre-Lexie. Also, you will note that the chief has finally retired and someone has stepped into his role. Now, without further rambling…please enjoy! :)

* * *

**PART I: A Puppy Would Be Fun**

"Where's the chart for 2426?" Cristina asked as she walked over to the nurses station where Meredith was sitting.

Meredith looked around and handed her the chart. "Liver guy?"

"Yeah! Thanks!"

"You're in a chipper mood."

"We just got a donor. I'm scrubbing in on his transplant."

"I wish I could get some OR time. Bailey's gone all Nazi on me and is making me do scut and post-op notes today."

"Why?"

Meredith gave Cristina a pointed look. "Punishment."

Cristina laughed. "For being late for rounds again because of McDreamy?"

"Yeah. But it was so worth it. Our new chief-of-surgery has a very nice desk."

Cristina's jaw dropped. "You _did it _on his desk?"

Meredith nodded. "Uh huh."

"You know his office is totally see-through, right? With all the windows."

"Not anymore. Derek put in some blinds. I think he might have been planning this for a while."

"Well congratulations, Meredith. Looks like you and Derek aren't so boring after all."

"Thanks, I think. I'm sure there's a compliment in there somewhere."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Tyler was looking for you earlier."

"Tyler? Why?"

"I don't know. Something about a dog? Don't be late for rounds again."

"Enjoy your surgery."

* * *

Later that morning, Meredith caught up with Tyler over at the nurses station.

"Tyler. Hey."

Tyler turned around at the sound of his name. "Oh, hey, Meredith."

"Cristina said you were looking for me earlier?"

"Yeah, I was. This is going to sound completely random, but would you like a dog? A puppy actually."

"Um…I don't know. Maybe. You're giving away a dog?"

"Well not me, my grandmother. Her dog just a had a litter a few weeks ago and there's one left. She's pretty anxious to find him a good home. So, you interested?"

"Hmm…I'll have to think about it."

"I just thought of you because I know you love dogs. And I know your other dog got real sick a while back and had to be put down, so you don't have to say yes. But I thought I'd at least ask."

"What's he like?"

"He's a yellow lab mix. Very playful, very friendly. Lots of energy. Loves playing outside. And he's had all his shots and everything. All he needs now is a good home."

"Could I see him?"

"Sure. Absolutely. In fact, my grandmother's got an appointment this afternoon with her doctor. I'll tell her to bring him if you want and you could take a look at him. Will you be here?"

"Yeah, I'll be here till six. Will you page me?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, Tyler."

* * *

Meredith thought about it all morning. At first, she had been excited about it. She loved dogs, and Derek loved them too. It would be so much fun for her and Derek to get a puppy together! But after a while, she began to have her doubts. Maybe a dog wasn't a such a good idea. Puppies were hard work. They were like children. And she did miss Doc. She didn't want to feel as if she were replacing him. And then there was the George and Izzie factor. She was sure they wouldn't approve.

_But it could stay at Derek's, _the little voice inside her said.

No, it wasn't a good idea, she decided. And now she regretted asking Tyler to have his grandmother bring the pup to the hospital, only for her to say no. But what was done was done.

It was about this time when her pager beeped.

As she rode the elevator down to the first floor, she thought of what she could say to Tyler. She should tell him the truth. She didn't think it was a good idea. No, maybe she didn't have to say no right away. She could tell him she would think about. She should at least see the dog first before making any decisions. Meredith shook her head. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

But when Meredith laid her eyes on the yellow puppy, she realized that the decision had already been made for her. From the moment Tyler placed that happy little puppy in her arms and he licked her face, she knew she wanted him. Who cared if Derek said no, she would just have to convince him. And so what if George and Izzie were annoyed with another dog. It was her house.

* * *

"Okay, I just want to run a few things by you, Chief," Patricia announced. "We're going to need an OR at three o'clock this afternoon for the liver transplant and we don't have one available."

"Okay…bump Sloan's surgery. His can wait until tomorrow."

Patricia sighed. "You can't bump Sloan's surgery every time."

"I'm chief. I can do whatever I want," Derek replied with a smile.

Patricia gave him a stern look.

"Hey, as long as it's not a burn victim, it can wait."

"Just leave your personal issues at the door next time. Now, for tomorrow, you've got a meeting with the board of directors, nine o'clock sharp…"

Derek pretended to listen as he straightened up the items on his desk. He picked up a file, and the image of Meredith sitting in that exact same spot this morning, naked, made him smile. He had always wanted to do that. He had always had this fantasy of pushing everything off his desk and making love right on top of it. They did it on TV all the time. Who knew how thrilling it would actually be? Having the position of chief-of-surgery certainly had its perks.

"Dr. Shepherd, did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, of course, Patricia. Thank you for going over the schedule with me. I'll see that everything gets done."

"Well I'll let you get to it." Patricia smiled, then left his office.

Just seconds after she left, he heard a knock at the door. "Come in."

Meredith's head popped in the doorway. "Hi. Got a second?"

Derek smiled. "I always have time for you. Come in."

"I'm not alone. I brought someone with me."

Derek was about to ask who when he saw for himself what Meredith had meant. She walked over to him, holding the little yellow puppy close to her. He laughed. "Whose puppy is that?"

"Tyler's. Actually Tyler's grandmother's. Derek, look at him. Isn't he just the cutest?"

"Yeah, he is." Derek reached out to pet the puppy. No one could resist petting a puppy this cute. "What's he doing here?"

"This little guy needs a new home. Tyler asked if I wanted him. I told him I would think about it." Meredith grinned widely at Derek. "What do you think?"

Derek saw the look in her eyes. He knew exactly where this conversation was going. "Meredith, I know what you're thinking. I just don't know…"

"He's up to date on all of his shots, and he's already been neutered. And he's a really good puppy. He's very lovable, and very playful."

"Mer…"

"Shh." Meredith place a finger over his mouth. "Don't say no yet. First you have to hold him."

"Okay." Derek held out his arms as Meredith placed the little puppy into them. Immediately, he began to lick Derek's face.

"Aww! See look at that! He likes you!"

Derek couldn't help but smile. "He is really cute."

"Look, I know it's a big responsibility. And at first I didn't think it was a good idea. But then I thought about it, and I saw how cute he was. And then it made me think of how much fun we had with Doc. You know? Remember? We'd walk the trail and play fetch with him before work. I miss that. And I miss Doc. And I don't want to replace Doc…cause let's face it, you can't replace a dog like him. But it made me remember how much fun it was to have a dog around the place. And you've got all that land. Think of how much fun he would have running around and—"

"Meredith?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to convince me so hard."

"I don't?"

"No, you don't. I think having a puppy around would be a lot of fun too."

Meredith smiled. "Really?"

"Really. Besides, I think I'm already attached to him anyway."

"Oh, this is great! Derek, this is going to be so much fun!" Meredith gave him a smacking kiss on the lips as she took the puppy back. "You're sure?"

"If this dog makes you smile that much, then there's no way I'm saying no to that. Besides, Doc's already destroyed everything that can be destroyed by a dog at the trailer anyway. I don't think there's much damage left for this little guy to do."

Meredith laughed. "I'm going to go tell Tyler we're keeping him then. I'll see you later?"

"I'm working late but I should be home around eight."

"Okay. See you then."

"Oh, and Meredith?"

Meredith stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"I think we're going to have to get a new vet."

Meredith laughed. "I had a feeling you were going to say that."

* * *

"What the HELL is that?" Izzie said the moment Meredith walked into the house with the puppy in her arms.

"I got a dog."

"No, no, no, and NO! We're not letting another _hell dog_ into this house!"

"Izzie…"

"Is that a lab?"

"He's a lab-mix."

"Oh that's worse! Meredith, what the hell are you thinking? Do you know how destructive lab-mixes are? No, we're not having him in the house so you can just take Marley back from wherever he came from."

"Marley?"

"Yeah, you know? Marley? World's worst dog? Best-selling book?"

Meredith shook her head, not understanding.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," George said as he walked out of the kitchen.

"George…"

George turned to Izzie. "Please tell me I'm hallucinating and that's not really a dog Meredith is holding."

"It's a dog."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"You guys…relax! He's not going to stay here all the time. He's going to stay at Derek's trailer. I'm just babysitting him since his daddy is working late tonight. Isn't that right, buddy?" Meredith made kissing noises to the dog. He stuck his tongue out, panting happily.

Izzie rolled her eyes. "Oh god. They've adopted a dog and she's already referring to Derek as its 'daddy'."

"What? Oh come on, you guys! It's just a little puppy! Look at his little face. Just look at it!" Meredith held the puppy's face close to them, making George and Izzie back up a little bit. "How could you not love a face like that?"

The pup moved his head forward, attempting to give Izzie a lick.

"Eww…just got a whiff of dog breath." Izzie waved her hand in front of her nose.

"I'm sleeping at Callie's tonight," George announced as he stormed out of the room.

"Keep him off my bed," Izzie warned, following George up the stairs.

Meredith looked down at the puppy with sad eyes. He panted happily, licking her face again. "Don't worry. They'll come around. Derek and I love you and that's what matters."

The puppy wiggled a little, attempting to get out of Meredith's arms.

"Are you hungry?" Meredith sat the dog down on the floor and walked to the kitchen. He followed her, wagging his tail excitedly.

"Look what I've got!" Meredith placed her tote bag on the table and dug out a half empty bag of dog food and a bowl. "We'll have to get you some more food tomorrow but this will be enough for your dinner."

Meredith poured some puppy chow into the bowl and placed it on the floor. "Hungry boy," she laughed as he wolfed it down.

[phone rings]

"Be right back." Meredith stood up and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi."

Meredith smiled at the sound of Derek's voice on the other end. "Hey. I thought you were working late."

"I am. I mean I was. I'll be home sooner than I thought. I was thinking about dinner."

"Me too. I'm starving." Meredith walked over to the fridge and took a look inside. "I've got some leftover pizza."

"How much leftover?"

"There should be enough for the both of us."

"Okay…that sounds good. So did you bring the dog home yet?"

"Yeah, he's here. I picked him up on my way home. Tyler's grandmother gave us some of his things too. Food bowls, toys, his bed. She gave us some food too but we'll have to pick up some more tomorrow because there's not much."

"I can pick up some in the morning. It's not a problem."

"Hey, what do you think of Marley?"

"Marley?"

"Yeah, as a name for the puppy. It was Izzie's idea. Some book she read had a dog named Marley. What do you think?"

"Sure. I like it."

"Oh good! Marley it is! He looks like a Marley."

Derek laughed. "I think so too. I'll be home soon. Have the pizza ready."

"Okay. I'll see you when you get home."

"Love you."

"Love you, too." Meredith hung up the phone and smiled. "Did you hear that, Marley? Daddy's going to be home…" Meredith stopped, realizing that she was talking to herself.

Marley was nowhere in sight. His bowl still had food in it, but apparently, Marley was finished.

"Marley?" Meredith looked around the table and chairs, wondering if he was hiding there. But he wasn't. "Marley?"

She looked around in the living room, calling out his name every now and then. She peeked into the laundry room. It had always been Doc's favorite place to hide. But nope, no Marley.

"If I was a dog, where would I go?" she asked herself as she looked around in the kitchen again.

"MEREDITH!"

Meredith cringed. When Izzie yelled like that, it usually wasn't a good sign. And from the sound of it, she had a pretty good idea where Marley had run off to.

She found him upstairs…content and happy on Izzie's bed.

"I'm sorry, Iz. I turned away for just a second to answer the phone." Meredith picked up the puppy. "You can't get on Izzie's bed," she gently scolded.

Izzie stood in the doorway glaring at Meredith with her arms crossed.

"Izzie, can't you just give him a chance? He's just a baby. He's really friendly. And he must like you. Why else would he come upstairs and go right to your room?"

"Please take him out of my room."

"Come on, puppy."

"Um…Meredith?"

Meredith looked up from the puppy, seeing George standing at the top of the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"I think your new dog left you a little surprise over here." George pointed to the floor where there was a little yellow puddle.

Meredith could hear Izzie laughing behind her.

"Maybe I like this dog after all. At least this dog pees on the floor instead of my _bed_ like the other one."

"Enjoy your dog, Mer," George said, smiling as he stepped over the puddle and ran down the stairs with his overnight bag.

"Karma rocks!" Izzie laughed as she closed the door to her bedroom.

* * *

After dinner, Derek and Meredith considered what to do with Marley. They tried to set him up in the laundry room, but Marley was not having that and would run out every time before the door could even close.

"I guess he could stay upstairs," Meredith said and picked the puppy up.

Upstairs in her bedroom, Meredith placed Marley's bed on the floor and tried to coax him to get in. Marley, however, was not tired, and played around with one of his toys instead.

"He'll be fine," Derek said as stepped out of the bathroom. "He'll wear himself out and he'll go to bed."

Meredith smiled. "You're right."

"So what about you? Are you ready for bed?"

Meredith smiled again, knowing where this conversation was going. "Yeah."

"Tired?"

Meredith laughed. "No. You?"

"Wide awake," he said, closing the distance between them with a kiss.

Two minutes later, their clothes were in a pile on the floor, and Derek and Meredith were busy under the covers.

As Derek found the ticklish spot on her neck, Meredith glanced over and spotted Marley sitting on her chair.

"Derek."

"Hmm…" he murmured as he continued kissing her.

"Derek, the dog…" Meredith nodded over to the side.

Derek quickly glanced at Marley. "He's fine," he said, then went back to kissing her.

"Derek. Derek, stop for just a minute…"

Derek reluctantly stopped. "What's that matter?"

"Nothing. It's just…Marley."

"What about him?"

"He's _watching_ us."

Derek turned to look at the pup again, and sure enough, Marley was sitting on the chair, head tilted to the side, watching their every move.

"Meredith, he's just a dog," he said, then kissed her in an effort to distract her.

But Meredith pulled away. "I don't care. I'm not having sex in front of an audience."

"He's a dog. He doesn't know what we're doing."

Meredith glared at him. "I said I don't care. I'm not having sex in front of the dog!"

"Okay. We can fix this problem" Derek reluctantly got out of bed and picked the pup up. "Time for you to go to bed, Marley. We'll set you up in the bathroom."

"Get his little dog bed. And turn on the night light so he won't be in the dark."

Derek picked up the little bed on his way to the bathroom. She waited as Derek got Marley all settled in and closed the door behind him.

"There. Problem solved."

"Thank you."

Derek crawled back into bed. "Now, where were we?"

"Right about here," Meredith giggled as they resumed their kissing.

But not thirty seconds later, they heard scratching at the door.

"Ignore it," Derek whispered when Meredith seemed distracted. He kissed her lips and hoped she could focus on him again.

Marley soon started to whimper.

"Derek…"

"Shh. He'll be fine. He has to learn to fall asleep on his own."

More whimpering. More scratching.

"You're right," Meredith agreed as the kissing resumed once again.

But the whimpering didn't stop. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. Loud whimpering. Sad whimpering. Followed by frantic scratching.

"Oh Derek, he's scared."

Derek sighed. "Meredith…"

"He's just a baby. He's scared."

"I know," Derek said, getting an idea. "Where's that toy he was playing with earlier? The one that squeaks?"

"It's over there by the door."

Derek grabbed the chew toy off the floor and went to the bathroom. The moment the door opened, the whimpering stopped. Marley looked up at Derek and wagged his tail excitedly.

"Here you go, buddy. Play with this. Then get some sleep."

When Marley seemed distracted enough, Derek quietly closed the door behind him. He paused for a moment to make sure Marley would stay quiet.

"I think it's working!" Meredith whispered.

"He just wanted something to play with, that's all. Now, shall we continue?"

"You better," Meredith giggled.

Derek dove underneath the covers once again and wrapped his arms around Meredith, making her laugh. He knew all of the places she was ticklish.

Things seemed to be going fine for a few minutes, but then…

_ARF! ARF! _

"Oh no," Derek muttered.

_ARF! ARF! ARF!_

"So much for that idea," Meredith said.

_ARF! ARF!_

"SHUT THAT DAMN DOG UP!" Izzie yelled from her bedroom.

Derek sighed. "This isn't going to happen tonight, is it?"

_ARF! ARF!_

"I'm sorry."

_ARF! ARF!_

"YOU GUYS! I MEAN IT! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"

_ARF! _

"I'll get him." Derek reluctantly got out of bed and pulled on his boxers. They were obviously staying on tonight. Then he made his way to the bathroom.

As soon as the door opened, Marley made a run for it with his tail whipping across Derek's legs. He struggled to get up on the bed. His third attempt was successful. Meredith greeted the puppy with open arms as he jumped in her lap and tried to lick her face.

"Oh, Marley. Poor baby! You were just scared and lonely in there, huh?"

"Oh no."

Meredith looked up from the dog and gave Derek a worried glance. "What?"

"You're going to need more toilet paper. He's knocked down and chewed up the whole roll. "

Meredith stared at the dog, trying her best to give a stern look to such an adorable little face. "You can't do that, Marley. That's why you have chew toys. Those are what you play with."

Derek took a minute to clean up the mess Marley left behind. When he returned to the bedroom, he saw that Marley had made himself comfortable on _his_ side of the bed. Marley looked up at Derek and blinked his little eyes, making no attempt to move now that he was relaxed.

"Oh no you don't," Derek said, picking up the pup. "That's where _I_ sleep. Your spot's at the foot of the bed." Derek placed Marley at Meredith's feet, then got under the covers.

But Marley, determined to have his way, wriggled his way back to the head and wedged himself between the two of them. He collapsed on his stomach and closed his eyes.

"Aww, Derek, look at him," Meredith whispered as she touched the soft fur behind his ears. "Isn't he so precious?"

"Yeah, sure. Precious," Derek remarked sarcastically, and he started to wonder if taking in a dog was such a good idea after all. It certainly wasn't looking too good for his sex life at the moment.

* * *

A/N: Oh the fun is just beginning…stay tuned for part two!


	2. Part II: Here Comes Trouble

**PART II: Here Comes Trouble**

"No, bad dog! That's a _very_ bad dog!"

Derek opened his eyes at the sound of Meredith's voice.

"Marley, let go!"

Derek sat up and spotted Meredith in her robe sitting on the floor, playing a game of tug of war with the pup.

"Meredith, what's he got?"

Meredith finally managed to pull whatever it was out of Marley's mouth. "Look at this!" Meredith said, exasperated as she held up what Marley had been chewing. "He ate my panties!" Sure enough, it had several noticeable rips in the fabric from Marley's teeth.

Derek looked down at the floor, wondering if any of his clothes had suffered the same fate. Luckily, no, but Meredith's bra had not fared too well. Derek reached over to pick the garment off the floor and held it up. "And your bra too, apparently."

"My _what?" _Meredith's jaw dropped as she snatched the bra from his hand. "This bra was expensive! Oh this is _not_ good!"

"Uh…Meredith?"

"What?" she asked, a hint of anger in her voice. She was still fuming about the underwear.

Derek nodded towards the corner of the room, and Meredith turned to see Marley moving around in circles and preparing to squat.

"Oh no! Marley, no! Newspaper! I need newspaper!" But of course, the newspaper was downstairs. Why hadn't they thought to lay down some newspaper?! But at least she had a… "Magazine! Give it here!"

Derek handed her the magazine laying on the nightstand, and Meredith ran over to Marley.

She had been too late.

Marley walked away from the corner, tail wagging, leaving a little tiny turd behind.

"Great."

Derek just laughed.

She glared at Derek. "Oh, you think this is funny?"

"I think this is hilarious," he said, laughing again.

Meredith picked up the puppy and dumped him into Derek's lap. "Here, keep an eye on him. I've got to go get something to clean this mess up."

Meredith walked out of the room, and Derek looked down at the puppy and gave him a serious look. "Sorry, bud, but I don't think she thinks you're so precious anymore."

* * *

After his morning meeting with the hospital board, Derek headed home to his trailer to check on Marley. He and Meredith had decided it would be best for now to leave him there rather than running wild at Casa Grey's. Plus, Izzie had made it perfectly clear that if the dog stayed, she was packing her bags and moving out.

"He'll be fine here," Derek had said as they dropped the pup off. "He's got everything he needs. Food. Water. His toys. His bed. I even put some newspaper down for him. I'll check on him in a few hours."

But as Derek made the drive through the winding road of his property, an eerie, unsettling feeling came upon him. He was familiar with this feeling. He sometimes experienced it in the operating room when he knew he was about to lose a patient. This feeling was always a sign that something very bad was about to happen.

As he turned off his car and got out, he worried about Marley and quickened his pace to the door. What if Marley wasn't alright? What if Marley had choked on something, or ate something poisonous? What if he was sick? Derek suddenly wished he had thought to do more dog-proofing before he left, but he had been in such a hurry to get to his meeting.

Derek opened the door and braced himself. For just a moment, things seemed fine. Two seconds later, Derek saw the disaster in his kitchen.

"What the…"

Derek's foot crunched on something. He looked down to see kibble strewn across the floor alongside Marley's overturned food dish.

Unfortunately, that had not been the only mess Marley had made. The little stinker had also gotten into the garbage, as dogs usually do, and Derek's trailer had literally been trashed. The trashcan lay on its side, half its contents on the floor, the bag leaky and shredded.

"MARLEY!"

Marley did not come running, which meant one of two things. Either he was exhausted from his morning of play, or he knew he was in trouble and was hiding. Derek bet on the former, as Marley seemed to not understand right from wrong.

Derek stepped around the trash, surveying the damage when he noticed something else. Somehow, Marley had pried open the pantry and gotten into the cabinet. Anything low enough for him to reach had Marley's paw-prints all over it, including a brand new box of Muesli cereal which had been gnawed up pretty bad. The plastic bag had been torn out of the box and ripped open, and cereal littered the inside floor of the pantry.

"So you didn't eat your food so you decided to raid mine?" Derek said to himself as he picked up the cereal box. He threw it back on the floor, realizing there was no point in putting it in the garbage now.

Derek thought he had seen the worst of it. He hadn't seen anything yet.

Turning around, Derek went to the other end of the trailer. Everywhere he looked, he saw disaster. The walls were scratched up. The furniture had been chewed on. The rug was completely destroyed. Nothing had been untouched.

"How can one dog do this much damage?" Derek muttered, for even Doc had never been this bad, and he was a much bigger dog.

And then he noticed the bed, where Hurricane Marley had made his grand finale. Dog saliva on his blanket. Dog fur on his favorite sheets. Even worse, his pillows, his _good pillows,_ were completely ripped to shreds, leaving a flurry of feathers behind in its wake.

And in the middle of it all was Marley, content as he relaxed on his belly. Marley gazed up at Derek with a sleepy look in his eyes, then yawned.

"Oh I bet your tired!" Derek snapped. "I see you've been busy!"

Marley laid his head down, closing his eyes.

It was then that Derek noticed it. If he had been mad before when he first noticed his trailer trashed, he was furious now.

"MY FISHING ROD?" Derek grabbed the rod, covered with bite marks, and cursed himself for leaving it within reach. "You chewed up my fishing rod?! This is brand new!"

Marley gazed up at Derek, and Derek felt foolish for talking to him this way. It wasn't as if Marley was going to answer him.

"Okay, that's it. You're out!"

Derek grabbed the puppy and headed outside, dumping him on the porch and slamming the door behind him.

Marley whimpered, wanting to come back inside. Derek sat down and counted to ten. He needed to figure out what to do next.

* * *

"He did _what?"_

"Completely trashed the trailer!" Derek huffed as he pulled Marley along by his leash through the aisle of the pet store.

Meredith switched the phone to her other ear and took a seat at the nurses' station, bracing herself for the bad news. "How bad is it?"

"Remember when I said that Doc had already destroyed everything in the trailer that could possibly be destroyed by a dog?"

"Yeah."

"I was wrong. It's bad, Meredith. The kitchen's a mess. Trash is everywhere. I'm going to have to buy some new pillows on the way home. And you know that new fishing rod I bought last week?"

"Oh no."

"Oh yes, he destroyed it. That's two-hundred bucks I'll never see again."

"Oh, Derek, I'm sorry. We'll get you another fishing rod."

"Dammit, Marley! Come on!"

"What's going on?"

"I'm sorry. I'm at the pet store right now looking for some chew toys. Marley isn't cooperating on the leash."

"Hey, get those rawhide chew bones, you know the ones I'm talking about? Doc really liked those."

"Good idea. Here they are now, right by the toys. How many should I get?"

"I don't know. Three?"

Derek looked down at Marley, who was already attempting to get into something on the lower shelf. "I think I'll get five. Oh, and I'm going to need to get more dog food."

"You just did this morning."

"I know, but half the bag is on the kitchen floor now. I made the mistake of leaving the bag where Marley could reach it."

Meredith laughed.

"Oh, you think this is funny?"

Meredith smiled. "About as funny as Marley eating my underwear and pooping on the floor, yes. Oh, hey, while I have you on the phone, Mr. Danvers is refusing surgery."

"Again?"

"I tried to talk to him, tried to talk to his family. He doesn't want to listen."

"We can't force a patient to have a surgery if he doesn't want it."

"I know, but it's such a simple procedure, and we're talking about saving his life here."

"I'll talk to him when I get back to the hospital, see if I can address some of his concerns."

"Thank you."

"Dammit, Marley!"

Meredith frowned. "What's wrong now?"

"Marley got off his leash and took off. I got to go!"

Meredith heard the line click on Derek's end. She hung up, worried about how Derek was handling the puppy. Things didn't look good for Marley.

Back at the pet store, Derek began looking for the wayward pup.

"Marley? Marley!" Derek walked down the next two aisles, hoping to see the little stinker somewhere. He had been sniffing around the display of dog beds earlier, and Derek checked there. But nope, no Marley to be found.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard. "Oh no," he muttered, praying that it wasn't Marley. But he knew it was. As he walked over to the next aisle, he saw a display of canned dog food scattered all over the floor, with Marley in the middle of it all, happily wagging his tail.

Derek marched over to the puppy and scooped him up. "We should have named you Trouble," he muttered. "That's all you seem to be getting into lately."

* * *

That night, Meredith stopped by the trailer with cleaning supplies, and she and Derek worked on cleaning the "Marley Mess".

"No, Marley," Meredith said again as she swept the floor. Marley kept chasing the broom, thinking this was some kind of game.

"I got him," Derek said, picking the puppy up and placing him in the crate he had purchased earlier.

Marley whimpered. He didn't like being locked up, but he was going to have to deal with it.

"I'm sorry he ruined your place, Derek," Meredith apologized for about the tenth time.

"I'm sorry he ate your underwear," Derek replied, trying to lighten the mood.

"Derek, do you think…do you think the decision to get another dog was maybe a little premature?"

Derek glanced over at Marley, who was hard at work on trying to figure a way out of his temporary jail. "Maybe."

"Somehow I pictured this going a lot smoother than it has been. I thought it would fun, but instead it's just been…"

"A disaster?"

"Utter chaos."

They were silent for a moment as Meredith continued sweeping, and Derek placed new sheets on his bed.

"I'll talk to Tyler tomorrow," Meredith said softly, and that was all they said on the matter that night.

* * *

Meredith and Derek woke up early, wanting to make sure they had plenty of time before Hurricane Marley got into something.

"Weather's nice. We should at least take him for a walk," Derek suggested.

"Yeah. Exercise will do us all some good."

"Great stress reliever," Derek added.

So they dressed for a walk, put a leash on Marley, and made their way to the park nearby. Marley surprised them both as he took to the leash well this time, happily trotting alongside them with his tail wagging behind. He became distracted only once when a squirrel caught his attention, but Derek tugged the leash and Marley continued on.

"Is this the same dog from yesterday?" Derek asked.

"He does seem…calmer today."

"Do you think it's safe to let him run for a while?"

Meredith smiled. "I don't see why not. Let him get tired out now so he'll nap later."

Derek released the leash from his collar, and Marley took off running. Not a mischievous run though, but a playful run as if he was thrilled to discover the world. Marley wagged his tail, panting happily as he sniffed around the bushes. He jumped at a few birds on the ground and ran around a tree chasing a bug.

After having his fun, Marley moved closer to the tree, lifted his leg, and proudly marked his territory.

"By George, I think he's got it," Derek said with a laugh.

"Now if he can just remember to poop outside as well!" Meredith added.

"Mommy, look! A puppy!"

Derek and Meredith's attention turned to a little dark-haired girl of about four or five running up the path. Before the child's mother could stop her, she was running to Marley to pet him.

"Maggie, no sweetie. You might scare him," her mother warned.

But Marley sat still, happily wagging his tail and sniffing around at the girl. He even gave her hand a couple of licks. The child rolled with laughter. "Look, Mommy! He likes me!"

"I'm sorry," the mother apologized to Derek and Meredith. "Is this your dog?"

"It's okay," Meredith said. "I think he likes her."

"Maggie loves dogs, puppies especially. Unfortunately since her father and I divorced, we had to move into an apartment and we couldn't keep Butters."

"Butters?" Derek asked with an amused expression.

"Her dog at her father's house. She misses him. He looks a lot like this little guy."

"I like your dog," Maggie said as she looked up to Derek and Meredith and smiled.

"Thank you," Meredith said.

"What's his name?" Maggie asked as she continued to pet him under his chin.

"Marley," Derek answered.

The mother smiled. "Oh yeah. Marley. The world's worst dog. I read that book. I don't know, for a Marley, he looks like a pretty good dog to me." The mother looked at her watched frowned. "Oh, look at the time. Come on, Maggie. It's time to go or Mommy will be late for work."

Maggie reluctantly stood up. "Bye, Marley!" she said with a little wave.

"Good luck with your dog. He's a keeper." The mother smiled, then took her daughter's hand.

"You know, he is just a baby," Meredith said, kneeling down to pet Marley. "He'll learn to be good….eventually."

Derek knelt down beside her, giving Marley a few pats. "And he hasn't been too difficult this morning."

"Maybe there's hope for you yet, Marley," Meredith said, making a kissy-face at the dog. Marley replied by licking her cheek.

"He was really good with that little girl, too."

Meredith nodded. "He was."

"You know, I bet he'll make a great family dog for us someday."

Meredith's head shot up, her eyes wide.

Derek laughed. "Relax, I'm not proposing." _Yet,_ he thought. "I'm just saying…you never know. If one day in the future we have kids and we have this dog, he would make a great family pet. I'm just saying…"

Meredith smiled. "I think he would too."

"What the hell? Should we keep him?" Derek asked, but it was obvious what the answer was.

Meredith nodded. "Yeah. Let's keep him."

"You hear that, Marley? You're…" Derek looked around, seeing that Marley was nowhere in sight. "Where did he go?"

"I don't know. He was just here. Marley!"

They found him around the corner, splashing around in a mud puddle in a manner that would make a pig proud.

Derek and Meredith both sighed.

"Then again, the day is still young," Derek said.

THE END


End file.
